This Day in Aviation History
January 15th, 1943
First flight of the Vultee XP-54 Swoose Goose.

The Vultee XP-54 Swoose Goose was a prototype fighter built by the Vultee Aircraft Company for the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF).

Vultee had submitted a proposal in response to a U.S. Army Air Corps request for an unusual configuration. The Vultee design won the competition, beating the Curtiss XP-55 Ascender and the Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet. Vultee designated it Model 84, a descendant of their earlier Model 78. After completing preliminary engineering and wind tunnel tests, a contract for a prototype was awarded on 8 January 1941. A second prototype was ordered on 17 March 1942. Although it appeared to be a radical design, its actual performance was lackluster and the project was subsequently canceled….

Source:
Wikipedia, Vultee XP-54 Swoose Goose: http://gstv.us/1RKx3mO

JoeBaugher.com, Vultee XP-54: http://gstv.us/1RKzQMQ
 
Additional Reading:
Vultee XP-54: Back to the Drawing Board: http://gstv.us/2iT9hsI

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Photo from: http://gstv.us/2iT2T4T
 
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